In an attempt to reduce the consumption of gasoline and to also reduce exhaust emissions, some suppliers of automotive gasoline have recently made available gasohol which comprises a mixture of approximately 90% gasoline and 10% alcohol. Gasohol may be used effectively in existing gasoline vehicle engines, but gasohol presents several problems for the users thereof.
One such problem resides in the fact that gasohol, even a low 10% proportion of alcohol, tends to separate from the 90% gasoline content thereof as a result of water contamination, inasmuch as the alcohol tends to absorb the water. Accordingly, even though the marketing of gasohol may be more closely controlled than the marketing of gasoline so as to minimize the chances of water contamination, persons who may occasionally use gasoline in the event of difficulty in obtaining gasohol sometimes experience increased water contamination during subsequent use of gasohol as a result of the intermediate purchase of gasoline which may have a higher water contamination than is generally considered permissible with gasohol. Also, fluctuating temperatures may cause water from the atmosphere within a partially filled fuel tank to condense and further increase water contamination of gasohol.
It is also pointed out that several types of seals and gaskets conventionally used in gasoline fuel systems tend to deteriorate when gasohol rather than gasoline is used in those systems.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide a means whereby an effective gasohol air and fuel mixture ultimately may be supplied to the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine without the aforementioned problems encountered as aresult of water contamination and gasket and sealed deterioration. Still further, a need exists for an effective means of supplying a gasohol air and fuel charge to the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine with the alcohol component of the fuel charge being greater than 10% in order that a greater reduction in gasoline usage may be realized.
Various forms of dual flow path charge forming and mixing devices including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,223,390, 4,003,357, 4,018,199, 4,019,476, 4,031,875, 4,031,876 and 4,261,311.